- And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and magnified him exceedingly. Then Solomon spoke unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel — the chief of the fathers. So Solomon and all the congregation with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But the ark of God, David had brought up from Kiriath-Jearim to the place which David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. Moreover, the brazen altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord; and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. And Solomon went up there, to the brazen altar before the Lord which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
- In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give you. And Solomon said unto God, You have shown great mercy unto David my father, and have made me to reign in his stead. Now, O Lord God, let your promise unto David my father be established, for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this your people that is so great?
- And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of your enemies, neither yet have asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge is granted unto you. And I will give you riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before you, neither shall there any after you have the like.
- Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycamore trees that are in the vale for abundance. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn — the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And they fetched up and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred fifty. And so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.
- And Solomon determined to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
- And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying, As you did deal with David my father, and did send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, therefore behold, I build a house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate to him — to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings, morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. And this ordinance shall be kept in Israel for ever. And the house which I build shall be a great house, for great is the Lord our God above all gods. But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and Heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
- Send me now therefore a man skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that have skill to engrave with the expert men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon.
- And behold, my servants I will send with your servants, even to prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful, great. And behold, I will give to your servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
- Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the Lord has loved his people, he has made you king over them. Hiram said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, that might build a house for the Lord and a house for his kingdom.
- And now I have sent a skilled man, endowed with understanding, of Huram my father’s — the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre — skillful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to engrave any manner of engraving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with your expert men and with the expert men of my lord, David your father.
- Now therefore, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send unto his servants. And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need, and we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa, and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.
- And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering by which David his father had numbered them, and they were found a hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred. And he set seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to set the people to work.
- Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
- Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God: the length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was a hundred twenty. And he overlaid it within with pure gold. And the greater house he paneled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof with gold, and engraved cherubim on the walls.
- And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold amounting to six hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
- And in the most holy house, he made two cherubim of image work, and overlaid them with gold. And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: one wing five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub; and one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.
- And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon.
- Also, he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains, as in the Holy of Holies, and put them on the heads of the pillars, and made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left, and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
- Moreover, he made an altar of brass: twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
- Also, he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did encompass it round about. And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did encompass it round about — ten in a cubit, encompassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast when it was cast. It stood upon twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. And the sea was set above upon them, and all their hindquarters were inward. And the thickness of it was a handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies. And it received and held three thousand baths.
- He made also ten basins, and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in them. Such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash in. And he made ten candlesticks of gold, according to their form, and set them in the temple — five on the right hand and five on the left. He made also ten tables and placed them in the temple — five on the right side and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
- Furthermore, he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass. And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, toward the south.
- And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God — that is, the two pillars, and the finials, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two finials of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars; and four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths — two rows of pomegranates on each wreath — to cover the two finials of the chapiters which were upon the pillars. He made also bases, and basins made he upon the bases; one sea, and twelve oxen under it; the pots also, and the shovels, and the forks, and all their instruments did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the Lord of bright brass. In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.
- Thus, Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, for the weight of the brass could not be found out. And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God: the golden altar also, and the tables on which the showbread was set; moreover, the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the Holy of Holies, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs made he of gold, and that perfect gold; and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.
- Thus, all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was finished, and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated. And the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments put he among the treasures of the house of God.
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES
Chapter 1